Birth Parent Stories

Two new books from Youth Connections (the publishers of Rise and Represent magazines) offer collections of stories from parents and others that can be used in training and general information sharing.

It Won't Happen Again: Stories About Reunification by Parents Affected by the Child Welfare System includes nine stories by parents who were reunited with their children after foster care placement. The stories discuss the difficulties that sometimes occur after reunification, addressing typical issues such as children's anger. The book includes discussion guides for use in staff training, parenting classes, or parent support groups, as well as worksheets to help parents think about their own experiences and develop healthy responses. www.risemagazine.org/pages/resources.html

Building a Bridge: Stories About Connections Between Parents and Foster Parents includes stories by parents, foster parents, and teens in foster care, as well as interviews with child welfare experts. The goal is to promote collaboration between parents and foster parents that helps children feel more secure while in foster care and adjust more easily after reunification. Leader's Guides provide instructions for using the stories to promote openness and self-reflection in training and parent support groups. www.risemagazine.org/pages/resources.html

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Articles in Children's Bureau Express are presented for informational purposes only; their inclusion does not represent an endorsement by the Children's Bureau or Child Welfare Information Gateway.

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